Growing Up
by katieBOOKWORM
Summary: Max and the Flock are living with Jeb and Dr. Martinez. I'm not sure where I'm going with this just yet. But there is Fax.
1. Telling the Flock

The flock and I had been living with Dr. Martinez and Jeb for a few weeks when Dr. Martinez said the house couldn't fit everyone happily and comfortably. I couldn't agree with her more. We all needed our own space. Jeb and Dr. Martinez loved each other, I'm guessing they always have, and never stopped. I loved being with them. They were my family and I couldn't live without them. Ella was the best sister I could ask for, and Dr. Martinez was the best mother I could ask for too. Jeb had explained everything to me, but I still didn't completely understand. The flock was still their usual selves. Fang was still quiet and annoying, Iggy was still blind, but slowly adjusting to the house, Nudge was still talkative as ever, Gazzy was still mischievous and, well, gassy, and Angel, was well, angelic, as usual. As for me, Max, I was still strong, stubborn, and loving. More important we were all a family now.

"Max!" I heard a voice shout, "Come here!"

I followed the voice into the living room where everyone was seated and sat next to Fang.

"Now that we're all here," Jeb said, "Valencia and I have something to tell you."

"Okay then, tell us," Iggy said.

"Well as you know, this house is too small for all of us to be comfortable and have our own space, so we bought a new home. Enough room for all of us, no one around us. The flock can fly without being noticed. Each of you will have your own room and bathroom. I hope you all don't mind, but we already picked your rooms out so there wouldn't be any arguing."

We were all quiet for a minute thinking it over and finally Nudge spoke up.

"So we each have our own room and bathroom?"

"Yes."

"When do we move in?" Iggy asked.

"Whenever you like. Tomorrow if you'd like."

"Okay, cool!" Angel said.

"Where will I sleep?" Total piped up.

"You will have a room with Angel, since you like being with her," Jeb said.

"Can we go tomorrow?" Gazzy asked.

"Of course."

The flock looked at me asking if it was okay to be happy about all of this.

I smiled at them and said, "My own bathroom? I could get used to that," and smiled at them. They all cheered and high-fived. Jeb and mom looked happy, so did Ella. I looked at Fang and he mouthed "I can't wait for my own room."

I laughed and mouthed, "I'll bet." He smiled my favorite half-smile. What can I say; the boy had me wrapped around his long, slender fingers.

"Well, its getting late. Angel, I think its time you went to bed," Mom said. Angel got up and hugged everyone goodnight and headed off to bed.

I went outside for some fresh air. I flew to a tree and sat down to think and clear my head. I was still confused about Fang. I knew I loved him, I just didn't know if he felt the same way. I was still confused about Jeb too, I didn't know whether I could trust him or not, but everyone else except Fang trusted him. Fang was my best friend, my right-hand man, he was more than a brother, I'd fallen in love with him, and there was no way I'd fall out of it. I heard wings beating and I knew who it was immediately: Fang. He sat next to me on the branch and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes and no. I'm okay, but my thoughts are bothering me."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I don't know whether to trust Jeb or not. I know the kids trust him and Dr. Martinez, but I just don't."

"I understand. You want to believe him, but your head won't let you."

God, he knows me better than I know myself.

"Max, just follow your heart," he said.

"Okay."

It was quiet for a while and Fang was right about the whole "follow your heart" thing, maybe I should do just that.

"Fang, you remember when you tried to help me change my mind?"

He nodded his head in response.

"Well, I changed my mind."

I looked over to him and he was looking at me with those dark, emotionless eyes. I put my hand to his face and gently caressed his cheek and pushed back a little of his dark locks, leaned in and kissed him. He was stiff for a moment, and I almost pulled back, but his arms pulled me closer.

A few moments later, we pulled apart and I whispered, "I'm following my heart," and lightly kissed him again.

He grabbed my hand and lightly stroked the back of it with his thumb and said, "I'm glad I could help you change your mind."

With that said, he kissed me and I smiled into the kiss and said, "Fang, I love you."

"I love you too," he mumbled against my lips.

He gently pulled away and said, "Don't you ever forget that Maximum Ride. I will always love you. I'll always be here for you. I'll never leave you, ever again."

He held me in his arms for a little while; he broke the silence and said, "We need to go back to the house."

I nodded in agreement and looked up and kissed him again.

I unfurled my wings and flew back to the house, Fang right beside me the whole way. We quietly walked into the house. Iggy, Gazzy, and Nudge were all asleep in the living room. Angel was sleeping in Ella's room on her spare bed. Fang and I grabbed a few blankets, moved the coffee table, laid the blankets down and we cuddled under the blankets. Fang kissed me a few times before I drifted off to sleep. The last think I thought was, "I'm finally happy now."

I woke to a light kiss and bustling in the kitchen. I opened my eyes to see Fang looking at me with his dark, violet eyes.

"Morning," he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

"Iggy's making breakfast, everyone else is awake, and Jeb said that we're going to the house around noon," Fang said.

God, I swear, I loved that boy.

"Okay." I sat up and smelled a delicious aroma of bacon, pancakes, and eggs. It smelled heavenly. I walked into the kitchen to see the strawberry-blonde hair of my favorite blind guy: Iggy. Even though he was blind he could cook. And make bombs, identify you by feeling your skin or feathers, and he could hear better than anyone. He was basically amazing.

"Morning Iggy."

"Hey Max."

I walked to the bathroom to shower and saw Angel looking at me funny.

"Angel. Get out of my head. Now."

She giggled and said, "Okay Max. Just let me know when he actually asks you." She giggled again and walked towards the kitchen. Angel was my baby. She could read minds, control minds, breathe under water, and _talk to fish_. She has blond hair and bright blue eyes. Those eyes were evil too. Especially when she wanted something, then she'd use Bambi eyes on me. It was horrible. Everyone knew I couldn't resist those eyes.

"Don't tell anyone!" I yelled after her.

I turned on the water and let it heat up. I pealed my dirty, tattered clothes off my dirty, worn body. I looked in the mirror and the girl I saw looking back at me was worn out, tired, and dirty. The face looked used and beat, like it'd been through hell. I sighed and ran my hand through my long blonde hair. My ocean blue eyes held pain, suffering, betrayal, and love. I checked the water and got in. I let the water cascade through my hair and down my body, letting it wash away the hell I'd been through. The running, experiments, and hiding, all of it. Everything I endured over these past six months. I let the water wash them away. About 15 minutes later I stepped out of the shower. I felt safe, to say the least. I towel dried my hair and pulled my semi-clean outfit on. I waked into the kitchen and saw plate full of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. _I swear, it was calling my name_. I sat down and basically **inhaled **the food. It was delicious.

"Iggy, your better than Emril," I said. He just laughed

"Good morning Max," Mom said. "Are you ready for the move?" she asked.

"I guess. Are we going to school?"

"Yes, but it's a public school so you don't have to worry about uniforms."

"Thank God. I hated wearing those stupid skirts. They were too short."

Mom laughed. About an hour later we were headed to the new house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated. I was at my dads house and we didn't have a computer and then I had band camp. Sorry for the 2 month delay! I hope you guys enjoy this one. I'm going to be updating more because I have quite a lot written. :**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I do own the plot! Unfortunetly, I would love to own Fang. hugs Fang**

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About an hour later we were headed to the new house. When we arrived the flock gasped. The house was huge. I don't know how Jeb and Mom could afford it. It had to cost a whole lot of money.

"Well, here we are," mom said. The house was brick and had vines traveling up the wall. It was an old country house, from the 1800's. It must have been, 4 stories high. A balcony on the last level. "Your rooms have an envelope with your names on them," Mom said. "Go ahead and search for your rooms."

I walked into the house and searched the bottom level of the house for my envelope. I found that Iggy and Gazzy were on the first floor, their rooms next to each other. I walked up the stairs and Ella, Nudge, and Angel's rooms were on the second floor. I took the stairs again and found that Mom and Jeb's room, a living room, and Jeb's office on the third floor. That must only mean, Fang and I were on the fourth level. My room was right next to Fangs. I saw my envelope taped to the door and opened it.

"Dear Max,

You have been through so much in your short life. You can do whatever you'd like to your room. You could paint it Chartrusse and we wouldn't care. This room is your sanctuary. It has a balcony, walk-in closet, and your bathroom is very large. We put your room next to Fang because we know how much he means to you. We hope you like your room.

Love,

Mom and Jeb"

I walked into the large room that was mine. No more sleeping in trees, camping by fires, no taking turns for watch. I now had a queen sized bed, dresser, bookcase, desk, and a night stand. I waked into the bathroom to see a large marble counter. There was a large bathroom and shower. In the corner there was a vanity thing. You know what I'm talking about right? I went back to my room and saw the door to the balcony. I walked onto the balcony and stared in awe. There was a lake right infront of the house, surrounded by plants. The trees in the background made the scene look like something out of a book. It was gorgeous. I just barely heard footsteps coming from inside the house, onto the balcony. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello. Sorry for updating so late! **

**Disclaimer: You know I don't own the characters, just the plot. :[**

**FANGS POV**

I saw the door with the envelope with my name on it. I opened it and read:

"Dear Fang,

We know you've been through hell almost all of your life. We want you to know that you are safe here. You can forget everthing that's happened over these past few years. We put you next to Max because we know how much you cared and still care for her. We thank you for taking care of her these past few years.

Love,

Dr. Martinez and Jeb"

I walked into my new room and it was kind of perfect for me. It was spacious, but not too big. The funiture was all black, so it would go with almost any color I chose to paint the walls with. Most likely red or black. I knew that there was a bathroom and a large closet already so I walked out onto the balcon. Max was already there, looking at the scenery. She straightened up, she knew I was out here. She turned and looked at me and said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I looked out and the trees and all were pretty, but she was beautiful. That's exactly what I told her. She blused. That made her even more beautiful.

**MAXS POV**

He made me blush. "What happens now?" I asked him. "I'm not sure. It might be the part where I ask you to be my girlfriend?" My breath caught in my throat. I think my heart stopped beating. "Are you being serious?" I whispered. "Yes, Max. I'm really want to know." I walked over to him and kissed him. Just. Like. That. "Does that answer your question?" He nodded and kissed me back with a little more force.

_"Maximum, what do yoiu want for dinner?"_ Jeb asked me. In my head.

_HOLY SHIT! _I jumped back and Fang asked me what was wrong. "Jeb asked me what I want for dinner. In my head." "I thought it would have stopped by now," he said. "Me too. So, what do you want for dinner?" I asked him. He smirked at me and said, "You." Well, that was totally unexpected that I actually, get this, _giggled._ Fang kissed me again. It was short and sweet. "But, really, what do you want for dinner?" He mumbled something into my neck, where his face was currently nuzzling. "What did you say?" "I said, 'As long as it's good!'"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maximum Ride characters. Just the plot. Although, in my mind I own Fang. XD**

"MAX!" a voice shouted. "Your room is so big!" Nudge walked onto the balcony.

"Hey Nudge. Do you like your room?"

"Yeah. It's pretty big. Angel and Ella's rooms are big too. Iggy's room is nice. He'll find his way around in no time. Gazzy likes his rom too. Ooh! Max, the view is so pretty! like, the trees are so tall and the lake is so clear, and I wish my room had a view like yours! You and Fang are so luck you have balconys. Oh, by the way dinner's ready. We're having steak, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, and sweet potatoe sufflee. Dr. Martinez made chocolate cake for dessert," Nudge finished.

"Well, lets go stuff our faces," I said.

"Max, can I talk to you?" Mom asked.

I wonder what she wants to talk about. Maybe she wants to talk about school, clothes, paint? Oh crap. What if she wants to talk about Fang?!

"Max, I want to talk to you about a lot of things tonight. First, we're going to talk about what's going to happen while you all are at school. You, Fang, and Iggy will be in the 10th grade, Nudge 7th, Gazzy 4th, and Angel 1st. Now we need to know what names you'll go by," Mom said.

"I know that I'm going by my real name. I don't know about the rest of the flock," I said.

"Okay, second, we need to talk about clothes. You and the flock need a lot of new clothes. We're going shopping tomorrow. Third, we need to paint the rooms. Have you decided what color you want in your room?"

"I was thinking about red, purple, green, or blue."

"Alright. We'll look for paint in a few days. Now, I need to talk to you about Fang."

Oh crap. Here it comes, the bird and the bees talk. I already know about it. The four older ones found out about it one time...Yeah. Lets not talk about that...

"I know you guys are sort of dating, I guess. Well, I guess you already know I'm here to talk about sex. You already know about this, I assume?" she asked.

I nodded my head.

"We'll I don't really care if you guys do have sex. Just please, I cannot stress this enough, use protection."

"Okay, we will, if we ever do decide to have sex. I promise." I really don't think Fang and I will be having sex any time soon. I walked back to my room to see Fang sitting on my bed. His dark, shaggy hair covering his face. I sat next to him and put my head on his shoulder.

"What did your mom want?" he asked.

"School, clothes, paint, and you." I responded.

"Really? She wanted to talk about me?"

"Yeah. She wanted me to know that she gives us permission to have sex, as long as we use protection," I laughed.

Fang blused at the thought of having sex. I didn't blame him. It made me blush too. There was no way we were ready for that.

"What'd she say about everything else?" he asked.

"Well, she wanted to know what we're going to go by at school. We're going clothes shopping tomorrow, and you have any idea what color you want to paint your room?"

"Name wise, I was thinking Fang Batchelder, ya know. Keep my name so it won't get so confusing and mabye black or red paint. I'm leaning towards dark red."

"Okay, cool. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight Fang."

"Good night, Max," he said.

I walked into my room and crawled under my new blanket and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello all! So sorry it took so long. I've been really busy with school and marching band! We recently went to State finals for the first time in 9 years and we placed 6th! That's pretty amazing if you ask me!

Disclaimer: You know what I do and do not own. Plot mine:

FANGS POV

Honestly, I couldn't wait for shopping. I really needed some new clothes. So did the rest of the flock. I can't believe Dr. Martinex talked to Max about us having sex. Neither of us were ready. No where near; way to young in my opinion. I couldn't wait until the day we do, though. I want it to be special, I want it to mean something to both of us. I heard the door open and I knew it had to be Max.

"Fang?" Her voice sounded scared and sleepy.

"Yeah Max?"

"Can I sleep with you?" She didn't sound like the normal 'I'm going to kick your ass' Max. She sounded more like the 'I'm tired, scared, and vulnerable' Max.

"Yeah, of course you can," I said. She made her way over to my bed and lifted the covers and got under. I wrapped my arm around her and said, "Good night Max."

"G'night Fang." We both drifted off to sleep.

MAXS POV

Today was the day we were going shopping. Not for food, like we normally would do, but clothes. Mom told us to get whatever we needed or wanted. I headed towards a store called Hot Topic, Fang was already in there. The music that was playing was really good; I liked it. I walked over to the womens clothing and started getting some jeans and pants. I figured I was a size 3, maybe. I wasn't sure what size I was, so I got different sizes and went to the dressing room. I was a size 3 and those pants I tried on were really comfortable. I looked at the shirts and those were really cute, so I picked out a lot of them. Mom and given us older kids a credit card each so she could shop with Gazzy and Angel. Iggy and Fang were shopping together and Nudge and Ella were together. I paid for my things and went to another store called Wet Seal. I got some of their pants, shirts, bras, and panties. Then I went to JC Penney's, then Delia's. I found some really cute shirts there. I found a shop called Journey's and picked out a pair of Converse, some Vans, and a couple of others. I saw Fang and Iggy, they both had quite a few bags each.

"Hey guys. Did you get everything you needed?" I asked. They nodded their heads.

"Max, did you go into Hot Topic?" Fang asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Did you get any CDs?"

"No. I didn't look at any."

"Well, I got this CD by Three Days Grace. I think you'll like it."

"Okay. Lets see if there's a music store around this joint," Iggy said.

We found a store called FYE and I saw an album by the name of Riot!. The artist was Paramore. I looked for something that would let me listen to a few songs. I listened to a few of their songs and I fell in love with them. They were amazing. I looked at some other bands and I eneded up buying a lot of CDs. I got Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Cute Is What We Aim For, The Academy Is..., Shiny Toy Guns, From First To Last, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold. Fang got Slipknot, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Thrice, Disturbed, and some others. Igg got ACDC, Led Zepplin, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, the Doors, and a lot more. I had a feeling we were going to be sharing all of those cds. We went to Radio Shack and bought stereos for each of us. I asked an employee what time it was and he said it was 12. We had to meet Mom and the flock at the food cournt around 12:30. So we headed for the food court. Fang's hand grabbed mine as we walked through the mall. I loved it, being with him. I felt normal when I was with him. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard Angel shout, "Max!" She ran up to me and jumped into my arms and hugged me.

"Hey sweetie. Did you have fun with Dr. Martinez?"

She nodded and said, "I got a lot of new clothes Max! They're really cute!" She told me what she got, then Nudge and Ella showed up with lots of bags. Boy did they have a lot of bags.

"Hey Max! Ella and I got some really cute clothes! I got thes one shirt and its pink and has white, purple, and yellow flowers on it. And I got a scarf, hat, and a pair of really cute shoes. Oh! And I got - mmph!" Iggys hand covered Nudge's mouth. "Don't worry Nudge. When we get home, you can show Max and Angel all of your new clothes."

"Of course I'll look at your new clothes. I'll help you guys put them away too. And I'll show you guys all the stuff I got too," I told them.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: You know what I do and do not own. I own the plot and any other characters I may create. I do not, however own the Flock, or any other characters created by the wonderful James Patterson. I wish I did own Fang though.

They all nodded and Mom told us to get what we wanted to eat. She stayed behind at a large table to watch our bags. I headed over to Chik-Fil-A and ordered 2 chicken sandwiches, 2 8 piece chicken strips, 2 waffle fries, a coke, and a sweek tea. Yeah, shopping can definantly work up an appetite. I made sure I got extra polynesian sauce too. I sat down and enjoyed my very large meal for one and ate every single bit of that delicious food. We left the mall after everyone had eaten.

I put my bags in my room so I could help Nudge, Angel, and Ella put their clothes away. They all got some pretty cute stuff. Nudge got this really cute shirt that I was definantley borrowing. They decided to go swimming since they got new bathing suits. Angels was pink, Nudges was orange, and Ellas was yellow. I went upstairs to my room and started setting up my new stereo. I got my new Paramore CD and popped it in. The lead singers voice filled my room; her voice was amazing. The song that was playing was called "For A Pessemit I'm Pretty Optimistic." The music was loud, catchy, and before the song was over, I was singing along. I started unpacking my clothes from the many bags. I went through all of them, taking off the tags, and folding them. I jumped a bit when a pair of arms snaked their way around my waist. Fang's head rested on my shoulder and his lips found their way to my neck.

"Fang, I really don't want any hickies, okay?"

He lifted his head up and kissed my ear. "I like this band, they're loud and catchy; reminds me of you," he said. He spun me around and kissed me tenderly. He pulled back and said,

"So, Max, what all did you buy?"

"Everything on my bed." His hand reached for my new black, somewhat lacy bra. "Hey! Paws off bucko!"

He whined a bit, "What? Am I not allowed to look at your 'unmentionables?'"

I looked at him with a "Duh" expression on my face. "Well, no. You can't look at them. But maybe one day you'll have the privledge of seeing them."

"Hopefully I'll see you in these!" he teased, holding up a pair of underwear with dinosaurs that looked like they would belong to a five-year-old boy. I blushed and snatched them from his grasp.

"Get out. I'll tell you when I'm done!" I told him. He laughed and kissed me on the cheek and walked onto the balcony.

"Okay. I'll be in my room listening to my new cds, putting my clothes away, and thinking about you and your little boy undies!" he said with a smirk.

I blushed, again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.


End file.
